Children's homes inspection − Full
Inspection date
31/10/2016
Unique reference number
SC463558
Type of inspection
Full
Provision subtype
Children’s home
Registered provider
The Serendipity Centre Limited
Registered provider address
1st Floor, Goodlands House, St.
Lukes Close, Hedge End,
Southampton SO30 2US
Responsible individual
Susan Tinson
Registered manager
Vacant
Inspector
Amanda Maxwell
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Inspection date
31/10/2016
Previous inspection judgement
Outstanding
Enforcement action since last
inspection
None
This inspection
The overall experiences and
progress of children and
Good
young people living in the
home are
The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for
good.
How well children and
young people are helped
Good
and protected
The impact and
effectiveness of leaders and Requires improvement
managers
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SC463558
Summary of findings
The children's home provision is good because:
 The home provides good-quality care, and young people make good
progress.
 Each young person has a key adult whom they trust and can confide in.
 Staff support young people to learn skills, which help them towards
independence.
 Warm, caring relationships between staff and young people have created an
environment which is child focused.
 Education attendance levels are high, and there are robust plans in place to
address and support those not engaging in full-time education.
 Staff work collaboratively with all parties, ensuring that plans are robust,
effective and safe.
 Staff offer a wide variety of on- and off-site activities. They provide a full,
diverse programme of activities and opportunities. 
 The voice of the young person is strong and particularly heard in all reviews,
plans and debriefs following incidents.
 One-to-one sessions provide essential education and an opportunity to
explore important issues and develop positive relationships between young
people and staff.
 Young people are developing strategies, which assist them to self-regulate
and moderate their behaviour and emotions.
 Leaders have provided robust effective support to the home through a
significant period of change in the staff team.
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What does the children's home need to do to improve?
Statutory requirements
This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered
person(s) meet(s) the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England)
Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the
quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.
Requirement
Due date
The leadership and management standard requires the registered
person to:
01/01/2017
use monitoring and review systems to make continuous
improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.
(Regulation 13(2)(h))
Employment of staff:
The registered person must ensure that all employees:
receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate
experience and have their performance and fitness to perform
their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation
33(4)(b)(c))
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01/01/2017
Full report
Information about this children's home
The home is registered for six children who have emotional and/or behavioural
difficulties. It is privately owned by an organisation, which also owns other homes
and a therapeutic education setting. It specialises in caring for girls who have
experienced physical and/or emotional trauma in their past.
The home provides access to a range of therapeutic services.
Recent inspection history
Inspection date
Inspection type
Inspection judgement
29/06/2016
Interim
Declined effectiveness
09/02/2016
Full
Outstanding
15/10/2015
Interim
Sustained effectiveness
11/03/2015
Full
Outstanding
16/12/2014
Interim
Sustained effectiveness
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Inspection judgements
Judgement grade
The overall experiences and
progress of children and young
people living in the home are
Good
Young people have made good progress from their starting points since their
arrival at the home. They are learning ways to self-regulate and manage their
behaviour and emotions. All young people are accessing a variety of activities,
enabling them to express themselves and explore new experiences.
There have been several changes and challenges in the home, and staff have
ensured that they focus on the needs of the young people. Senior managers and
some staff have provided good stability and consistency through this period.
All young people are engaged in education. Those who have lived in the home for
a period of time have good attendance. They are making good academic progress
within their own capabilities. Young people who are new to the home are
supported to engage in education. They have transition plans, which support those
who have been out of education for a period of time to integrate back into it.
Staff support young people to attend to all of their physical and emotional health
needs. They support them to address long-standing health issues, which is having
a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being. Young people are
engaging in a variety of services, and staff refer on to specialist services when
required.
Young people are well cared for and supported in the home. Staff have good
knowledge and insight into each young person’s needs. Pen portraits and the ‘All
about me’ documents provide thorough descriptions of young people’s likes,
dislikes, favourite clothes, activities and other helpful information that the young
people feel is important to them. Support plans and other documents provide
clarity and practical advice and guidance to staff, informing them how to meet
young people’s needs.
Managers are reviewing and updating all care plans. They recently identified that
several records had been deleted or were missing. They have put plans in place to
address this and to restore all information.
Staff are interested in young people, their individual needs and what is affecting or
worrying them. Staff prioritise time to talk with young people and support them to
explore ways to manage worries and anxieties. Staff and young people have good
relationships, and the young people seek guidance and physical and emotional
support from staff.
Young people are encouraged to engage in therapy, which is provided in varying
forms, for example ‘my time’ protected activities and one-to-one sessions with
therapists. The organisation employs a specialist who contributes to the overview
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and planning of individual therapy plans. Young people also write or voice their
worries and concerns, and staff explore and act upon these. Young people are
learning positive strategies to manage and regulate their emotions and anxieties
safely.
Purposeful one-to-one sessions take place, and all staff may complete them. They
provide young people with essential education, covering a wide variety of topics
and themes, and explore risky behaviours. Topics have included stranger danger,
relationships, future aspirations and conflicts with others. They allow opportunities
for young people to talk through individual challenges, to develop relationships and
build trust.
Staff offer a wide variety of activities in the home, including art and craft and
themed evenings. Each young person is encouraged to develop interests or
hobbies. Young people attend a variety of local clubs and voluntary groups, which
enable them to make friends and to develop peer relationships. Activities that they
have accessed include horse riding, ice skating and swimming. Staff also arrange
group activities, and these have included holidays, trips to theme parks and meals
out. Young people enjoy sharing stories about the activities and adventures that
they have experienced. During the inspection, staff and young people enjoyed a
fun evening of activities, including dressing up, sharing a meal together and playing
games.
Young people are developing their personal, social and life skills. Staff and young
people have developed targets to work towards. Young people each assist with
basic chores in the home. They clear the table and assist with the washing up after
the main meal. Each young person has learned new skills while living at the home.
They are becoming more independent. Mealtimes are a key social activity in the
home, when staff and young people share a meal and chat about the events of the
day.
Staff follow detailed contact plans, which ensure that contact between young
people and families is well managed for all parties. Staff request reviews and
consider whether plans accurately address young people’s needs in the regular
network meetings.
Judgement grade
How well children and young
people are helped and protected
Good
Young people report feeling safe and having an adult whom they can trust and
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confide in. They seek support and guidance from known staff when they are
anxious or worried. Staff assist young people to explore ways to manage their
emotions, developing strategies and skills to enable them to work through the
challenges that they face.
Staff have good knowledge and insight regarding the safeguarding policy,
procedures and risk factors. They have good understanding and awareness about
how to protect young people and keep them safe from harm. Staff apply a lowlevel threshold to reporting and recording concerns, which enables a swift response
to any issue arising.
Staff follow detailed behaviour support plans, and all staff are trained in the home’s
behavioural approach. Behaviour support plans explore triggers and behaviours and
detail how to support a young person. Staff seek to avoid the use of physical
intervention by deploying a variety of de-escalation strategies. When physical
intervention has been used, it has been in its lowest form for the shortest possible
period. Staff provide positive role models and promote positive behaviour. They
have completed in-house training to develop their approach to behaviour
management. Staff seek and record young people’s views following incidents,
which has positively impacted on staff knowledge and understanding. However,
managers have not routinely evaluated and monitored records and logs.
Staff give many more rewards than sanctions. They celebrate young people’s
achievements and positive behaviour by offering a wide variety of treats, trips out
and rewards. Sanctions are restorative in nature and linked to the trigger or cause.
Staff apply a robust, coordinated approach to episodes of missing from care. Staff
gain involvement from those outside the home. This has ensured that plans are
detailed and thorough, with input from all agencies that have significant
involvement. Episodes of missing are well managed, reported and recorded, and
staff actively seek young people. Young people are welcomed on return, and
requests are made for return to care interviews.
Risks associated with child sexual exploitation are thoroughly assessed. Plans detail
how to minimise and reduce risk factors. Staff provide good-quality education and
information in one-to-one sessions, promoting young people’s ability to make
informed decisions about engaging in risk-taking behaviours. Staff have worked
closely with other agencies to ensure that plans are collaborative in their approach
to the management of risk factors.
Young people complete worry and anxiety forms, and staff robustly respond to
issues and concerns raised. Staff act on all concerns and worries, and records
evidence responses, actions and outcomes.
Staff have referred and reported allegations to the designated officer. They have
completed investigations, and records evidence incidents from instigation through
to outcome.
Staff follow robust systems and procedures for managing and administering
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medication, and all staff receive medication training.
The home is well maintained and presented. Staff swiftly respond to any damage.
Recruitment processes are thorough and meet the requirements required, to
ensure that they comply with safer recruitment practice and guidance.
Judgement grade
The impact and effectiveness of
leaders and managers
Requires improvement
There is currently no registered manager for the home. Senior leaders and
managers have plans in place to address this. In the interim period, the responsible
individual and other managers have regularly been present in the home. The focus
of staff has been to support and maintain positive relationships with young people,
enabling them to make continued good progress.
There has been a high turnover of staff in the home since the last inspection. Staff
who have departed from the home have not worked their notice periods. This has
had a negative impact on the home and young people. There are seven new
members of staff in the home. Senior managers are currently providing additional
support, which is limiting the potentially negative impact of this on young people.
Managers have acted on most of the requirements set at the previous inspection.
However, they have not completed regular, consistent monitoring and evaluation of
all required logs and records. There are several systems and tools to support the
evaluation of practice, records and quality of care that have not been utilised to
their full potential. Records do not clearly state whether issues identified have been
acted on.
Staff have not received regular, effective supervision, nor had their practice
appraised at least annually.
Staff access a varied programme of training, with regular updates in topics
pertinent to their roles. Staff will access refresher training this month in the home’s
preferred method of behaviour management and first aid, for which staff either
have the required qualification or are enrolled to complete.
The home has staff vacancies, and a recent recruitment drive has been successful,
and new staff are now in post. Staff complete an induction process over a sixmonth period, which is robust and effective, and staff begin to develop and build
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up their knowledge and skills. Leaders and managers are reviewing their
recruitment processes to ensure that they are robust and effective.
Managers have good working relationships with those outside of the home. They
regularly meet with others to review risk management and other plans
collaboratively. This ensures that their knowledge is current and that they are
focused on young people’s needs.
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What the inspection judgements mean
The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the
inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight
and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the
report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.
An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to
significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and
protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time.
A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for
children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted.
In a children’s home that requires improvement, there are no widespread or
serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The
welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements
are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help
and care for children and young people.
A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are
widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being
harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their
welfare safeguarded and promoted.
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Information about this inspection
Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and
young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work
and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They
read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and
each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and
young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their
families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s
home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference
it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and
look after.
This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the
effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s
Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes
regulations including the quality standards’.
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the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's
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of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email [email protected].
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to
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protection.
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